Deployment - RLink Documentation

Overview

RLink is optimized for deployment on Vercel, with built-in support for:

Automatic deployments from Git
Environment variable management
Serverless functions for API routes
Cron jobs for scheduled tasks
Edge network for global performance

Prerequisites

Vercel Account

Neon Database

Create a PostgreSQL database at neon.tech

Note your connection string
Ensure database is accessible from Vercel

Resend Account

Create an account at resend.com

Get your API key
Verify your sending domain

Git Repository

Ensure your code is pushed to GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket

Deployment Steps

1. Connect Repository to Vercel

Import Project

Go to Vercel Dashboard
Click “Add New…” → “Project”
Select your Git provider (GitHub)
Import the rlink repository

Configure Build Settings

Vercel auto-detects Next.js:

Framework Preset: Next.js
Build Command: next build
Output Directory: .next
Install Command: npm install

No changes needed - Vercel uses these defaults automatically

Set Root Directory

If your Next.js app is in a subdirectory, set the root directory. Otherwise, leave as .

2. Configure Environment Variables

In your Vercel project settings, add all environment variables:

Database Configuration

DATABASE_URL="postgresql://user:pass@host.neon.tech/database?sslmode=require"

Get this from your Neon dashboard → Connection String

Application URLs

NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL="https://your-domain.vercel.app"
BETTER_AUTH_URL="https://your-domain.vercel.app"
SITE_URL="https://your-domain.vercel.app"

Replace your-domain with your actual Vercel domain

CORS & Security

ALLOWED_ORIGIN="https://your-domain.vercel.app"

Important: Set this to your actual production domain for proper CORS configuration

Email Configuration

RESEND_API_KEY="re_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
RESEND_FROM="RLink <noreply@yourdomain.com>"

Get your API key from Resend dashboard → API Keys

Authentication Secrets

BETTER_AUTH_SECRET="your-random-32-char-secret-here"

Generate a secure random string (minimum 32 characters):

openssl rand -base64 32

Cron & Cache Secrets

CRON_SECRET="your-cron-secret-here"
REVALIDATION_SECRET="your-revalidation-secret-here"

Generate these similarly to the auth secret

Never commit these secrets to Git! Always use Vercel’s environment variable system.

3. Deploy Database Schema

Before your first deployment, apply database migrations:

Local Setup

# Set your production DATABASE_URL locally
export DATABASE_URL="postgresql://..."

# Apply migrations
npx drizzle-kit migrate

Verify Schema

Connect to your Neon database and verify tables exist:

Better Auth tables (users, sessions, etc.)
Application tables (projects, leads, etc.)

Alternatively, you can run migrations from Vercel by adding a custom build script, but local migration is recommended for first deployment.

4. Configure Cron Jobs

RLink uses Vercel Cron for scheduled tasks.

Verify vercel.json

Ensure vercel.json exists in your project root:

{
  "crons": [
    {
      "path": "/api/cron/activity-logs-retention",
      "schedule": "0 0 * * *"
    }
  ]
}

This runs daily at midnight UTC to clean up old activity logs.

Set Cron Secret

In Vercel dashboard:

Go to Settings → Environment Variables
Ensure CRON_SECRET is set
Vercel will automatically add this as Authorization: Bearer {CRON_SECRET} header

Test Cron

After deployment, manually trigger:

curl -X POST https://your-domain.vercel.app/api/cron/activity-logs-retention \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_CRON_SECRET"

5. Deploy Application

Trigger Deployment

Click “Deploy” in Vercel dashboard, or push to your main branch to trigger automatic deployment.

Monitor Build

Watch the build logs in Vercel dashboard. Common issues:

Environment variable typos
Database connection errors
Missing dependencies

Check Deployment

Once deployed, visit your Vercel URL:

https://your-project.vercel.app

You should see the RLink login page.

Post-Deployment Checklist

Custom Domain Setup

1. Add Domain to Vercel

Add Domain

Go to Project Settings → Domains
Click “Add Domain”
Enter your domain (e.g., rlink.rlanddevelopment.com)

Configure DNS

Add the following DNS records at your domain registrar:A Record:

Type: A
Name: @ (or subdomain)
Value: 76.76.21.21

AAAA Record (for IPv6):

Type: AAAA
Name: @ (or subdomain)
Value: 2606:4700:4700::1111

Or use CNAME for subdomains:

Type: CNAME
Name: rlink
Value: cname.vercel-dns.com

Verify Domain

Vercel will automatically verify DNS propagation. This can take 24-48 hours.

Update Environment Variables

Update all URL-related environment variables to use your custom domain:

NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL="https://rlink.rlanddevelopment.com"
BETTER_AUTH_URL="https://rlink.rlanddevelopment.com"
SITE_URL="https://rlink.rlanddevelopment.com"
ALLOWED_ORIGIN="https://rlink.rlanddevelopment.com"

Environment-Specific Configuration

Production Environment

# Production database
DATABASE_URL="postgresql://prod-user:pass@prod-host.neon.tech/rlink?sslmode=require"

# Production URLs
NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL="https://rlink.rlanddevelopment.com"
ALLOWED_ORIGIN="https://rlink.rlanddevelopment.com"

# Production email
RESEND_FROM="RLink <noreply@rlanddevelopment.com>"

Staging Environment

For a staging deployment:

# Staging database (separate from production)
DATABASE_URL="postgresql://staging-user:pass@staging-host.neon.tech/rlink-staging?sslmode=require"

# Staging URLs
NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL="https://rlink-staging.vercel.app"
ALLOWED_ORIGIN="https://rlink-staging.vercel.app"

# Staging email (use test domain)
RESEND_FROM="RLink Staging <noreply@staging.rlanddevelopment.com>"

Create a separate Vercel project for staging linked to a staging or develop branch.

Continuous Deployment

Automatic Deployments

Vercel automatically deploys when you push to connected branches:

Production: Pushes to main → Production deployment
Preview: Pushes to other branches → Preview deployment

Branch Protection

Configure branch protection in GitHub:

# .github/workflows/ci.yml (example)
name: CI
on: [pull_request]
jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
      - name: Install dependencies
        run: npm install
      - name: Run tests
        run: npm test
      - name: Run linter
        run: npm run lint

Performance Optimization

1. Enable Edge Functions

For routes that benefit from running at the edge, you can opt in explicitly (validate compatibility with your dependencies first):

// app/api/some-route/route.ts
export const runtime = 'edge';

2. Configure Caching

Set proper cache headers in next.config.ts:

async headers() {
  return [
    {
      source: '/uploads/:path*',
      headers: [
        {
          key: 'Cache-Control',
          value: 'public, max-age=31536000, immutable',
        },
      ],
    },
  ];
}

3. Optimize Images

Images are automatically optimized by Next.js Image component. Ensure you’re using it:

import Image from 'next/image';

<Image 
  src="/uploads/projects/cover.jpg"
  alt="Project cover"
  width={800}
  height={600}
  priority // For above-the-fold images
/>

Monitoring & Logging

Vercel Analytics

Enable Vercel Analytics for production insights:

Go to Project Settings → Analytics
Enable Web Analytics
View metrics in dashboard

Error Tracking

Consider integrating error tracking for production:

Sentry: For comprehensive error monitoring
LogRocket: For session replay
Vercel Logs: Built-in log streaming

Rollback Strategy

If a deployment causes issues:

Instant Rollback

In Vercel dashboard:

Go to Deployments
Find last working deployment
Click ”…” → “Promote to Production”

Git Revert

Revert the problematic commit:

git revert HEAD
git push origin main

Security Hardening

Security Headers

Verify security headers are set in next.config.ts:

async headers() {
  return [
    {
      source: '/:path*',
      headers: [
        { key: 'X-DNS-Prefetch-Control', value: 'on' },
        { key: 'X-Frame-Options', value: 'DENY' },
        { key: 'X-Content-Type-Options', value: 'nosniff' },
        { key: 'Referrer-Policy', value: 'origin-when-cross-origin' },
      ],
    },
  ];
}

Rate limiting

Apply rate limits at the application or edge layer for sensitive routes (login, public APIs). Tune limits for legitimate traffic spikes.

Database Security

Enable SSL mode in connection string (?sslmode=require)
Use Neon’s IP allowlist if needed
Rotate database passwords regularly

Secret Rotation

Rotate secrets periodically:

Generate new secret
Update in Vercel environment variables
Redeploy application
Invalidate old sessions (users will need to re-login)

Troubleshooting

Database Connection Errors

Error: Connection timeout or Connection refusedSolutions:

Verify DATABASE_URL is correct
Check Neon database is active
Ensure SSL mode is set: ?sslmode=require
Verify Neon’s IP allowlist includes Vercel IPs

Build Failures

Error: Build failed with exit code 1Solutions:

Check build logs in Vercel dashboard
Verify all environment variables are set
Run npm run build locally to reproduce
Check for TypeScript errors

Email Not Sending

Error: Emails not being deliveredSolutions:

Verify RESEND_API_KEY is correct
Check Resend dashboard for API usage/errors
Ensure sending domain is verified
Check spam folder for test emails

CORS Errors

Error: CORS policy: No 'Access-Control-Allow-Origin' headerSolutions:

Verify ALLOWED_ORIGIN matches your actual domain
Check next.config.ts CORS configuration
Ensure cookies are being sent with requests

Session Errors

Error: Session expired or Not authenticatedSolutions:

Verify BETTER_AUTH_SECRET is set
Check NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL matches deployment URL
Clear browser cookies and try again
Verify Better Auth tables exist in database

Scaling Considerations

Database Scaling

Neon PostgreSQL auto-scales. For high traffic:

Enable connection pooling in Neon dashboard
Use read replicas for heavy read operations
Optimize queries with proper indexes

Vercel Plan Limits

Free Tier Limits

100 GB bandwidth/month
100 hours function execution/month
Serverless function timeout: 10 seconds

For production, consider Vercel Pro or Enterprise for:

Increased bandwidth
Longer function timeouts
Team collaboration features
Advanced analytics

Backup Strategy

Database Backups

Neon provides automatic backups. Verify:

Go to Neon dashboard → Backups
Ensure daily backups are enabled
Configure retention period (7-30 days recommended)

Code Backups

Git provides version control. Additional backups:

Clone repository locally periodically
Mirror to a private backup repository

Environment Backups

Document all environment variables securely:

Store in password manager (1Password, LastPass)
Keep offline encrypted backup

Next Steps

Troubleshooting

Production issues and edge cases

Maintenance

Routine tasks and workflows

Getting started

System design

Security

Operations

Development

UI and styling

Documentation site

AI tools

​Overview

​Prerequisites

​Deployment Steps

​1. Connect Repository to Vercel

​2. Configure Environment Variables

​3. Deploy Database Schema

​4. Configure Cron Jobs

​5. Deploy Application

​Post-Deployment Checklist

​Custom Domain Setup

​1. Add Domain to Vercel

​Environment-Specific Configuration

​Production Environment

​Staging Environment

​Continuous Deployment

​Automatic Deployments

​Branch Protection

​Performance Optimization

​1. Enable Edge Functions

​2. Configure Caching

​3. Optimize Images

​Monitoring & Logging

​Vercel Analytics

​Error Tracking

​Rollback Strategy

​Security Hardening

​Troubleshooting

​Scaling Considerations

​Database Scaling

​Vercel Plan Limits

Free Tier Limits

​Backup Strategy

​Next Steps

Troubleshooting

Maintenance

Overview

Prerequisites

Deployment Steps

1. Connect Repository to Vercel

2. Configure Environment Variables

3. Deploy Database Schema

4. Configure Cron Jobs

5. Deploy Application

Post-Deployment Checklist

Custom Domain Setup

1. Add Domain to Vercel

Environment-Specific Configuration

Production Environment

Staging Environment

Continuous Deployment

Automatic Deployments

Branch Protection

Performance Optimization

1. Enable Edge Functions

2. Configure Caching

3. Optimize Images

Monitoring & Logging

Vercel Analytics

Error Tracking

Rollback Strategy

Security Hardening

Troubleshooting

Scaling Considerations

Database Scaling

Vercel Plan Limits

Backup Strategy

Next Steps